NO. 3064- 


Ifl'Z. 


i 


Mission  Study 
Meetings 


WHAT  THEY  ARE 
HOW  ORGANIZE  THEM 


The  Educational  Department,  Board  of 
Missions,  281  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York 


Mission  Study  Meetings  and 
How  to  Conduct  Them 


I.  WHAT  THEY  ARE 

The  programmes  for  mission  study  meetings 
which  are  prepared  by  the  Educational  Depart¬ 
ment  are  intended  to  provide  those  who  wish  to 
hold  a  series  of  missionary  meetings  with  a 
careful  and  thorough  plan  of  action.  Guilds, 
brotherhoods,  auxiliaries,  sewing  circles  often 
desire — or  if  they  do  not,  they  should — to  de¬ 
vote  a  certain  number  of  their  meetings,  say 
during  Advent  or  Lent,  or  both,  to  a  systematic 
study  of  some  phase  of  the  church’s  work.  Or, 
again,  groups  of  people  decide,  quite  apart  from 
any  already  existent  organization,  to  undertake 
a  course  of  this  kind.  Now  it  is  to  meet  such 
demands,  and  to  see  that  they  are  met  in  the  best 
and  most  scientific  manner,  that  series  of  pro¬ 
gramme  meetings  are  arranged  by  the  Educa¬ 
tional  Secretary. 

II.  THEIR  VALUE 

Of  course,  the  extensive  and  more  exacting 
work  of  the  “study  class”  is  the  best  way  in 
which  to  learn  about  the  progress  of  the  King¬ 
dom,  but  for  one  reason  or  another  it  is  not 
always  practical  to  hold  study  classes.  Failing 
this,  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  follow  out  a 
course  of  these  prepared  meetings.  Perhaps 
their  greatest  value  lies  in  the  fact  that  they  are 
an  improvement  upon  the  old-fashioned  meet¬ 
ing,  which  failed  so  often  to  produce  the  de¬ 
sired  results  in  the  way  of  a  real  awakening  of 
interest  and  zeal. 

Never  forget  this  fearful  fact:  Every  mis¬ 
sionary  meeting  either  does  harm  or  good! 
That  is  to  say,  if  the  Master’s  work  is  not  pre- 

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sented  in  an  attractive  way,  it  is  in  an  wwat- 
tractive  way,  and  when  this  last  occurs  harm  is 
done.  How  could  it  be  otherwise,  seeing  the 
issues  that  are  involved? 

Now  the  programme  meetings  are  so  made  as 
to  obviate  as  far  as  possible  this  danger.  So 
far  as  possible  they  aim  to  show  how  the  sub¬ 
ject  may  be  presented  in  an  attractive  and 
forceful  way,  and  if  those  who  organize  them 
will  but  endeavor  to  carry  them  out  in  the  spirit 
in  which  they  are  prepared  they  may  at  least 
feel  that  they  have  done  all  they  can  to  help  the 
cause.  Doubtless  some  can  invent  still  better 
programmes  than  those  offered  by  the  Educa¬ 
tional  Department.  It  makes  no  boast  that  its 
scheme  is  the  only  one.  It  merely  seeks  to  help 
those  who,  unassisted,  do  not  know  how,  or 
feel  able,  to  conduct  a  series  of  meetings  in  a 
profitable  way. 

III.  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  THEM 

1.  The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  get  a  pro¬ 
gramme  committee.  If  there  has  been  a  study 
class  in  your  town  get  some  members  of  it  to 
be  the  committee,  as  they  will  be  well  equipped 
for  the  work.  Otherwise  select  three  or  four 
persons  who  are  enthusiastic  and  earnest  and 
willing  to  work. 

2.  The  programme  committee  having  been 
selected,  they  should,  if  it  has  not  already  been 
done,  write  to  their  diocesan  Educational  Sec¬ 
retary,  if  there  is  one,  or,  if  not,  then  to  the 
Educational  Secretary  at  281  Fourth  Avenue, 
New  York,  for  material  and  programmes.  In 
reply  they  will  receive  a  book  of  suggestions 
for  a  series  of  meetings,  at  the  beginning  of 
which  will  be  found  indicated  all  the  books 
and  material  necessary  for  the  carrying  out 
of  the  series. 


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For  the  booklet  a  charge  of  5  cents  is  made; 
the  necessary  material  for  conducting  and  pre¬ 
paring  for  a  meeting  costs  $2.00. 

Having  received  the  booklet  and  then  hav¬ 
ing  sent  to  the  New  York  office  and  obtained 
the  literature,  the  programme  committee  pro¬ 
ceeds  to  make  its  plans.  As  a  rule  there  will 
be  six  meetings  outlined,  and  each  one  will 
be  divided  into  three  or  four  topics.  These 
topics  deal  with  different  phases  of  the  subjects 
to  be  discussed.  It  is  generally  best  for  these 
topics  to  be  assigned  to  different  members  of 
the  group  other  than  those  on  the  committee. 
The  committee  should  reserve  themselves  for 
the  purpose  of  enlivening  the  meeting. 

For  example,  let  us  say  that  the  meeting  is 
to  be  upon  the  religions  of  Japan,  and  that  there 
are  three  topics.  One  is  given  to  one  member 
and  another  to  another  and  the  third  to  a 
third.  Three  of  the  members  of  the  committee 
make  it  their  duty  to  help,  one  for  each,  the 
individuals  to  whom  the  topics  have  been  as¬ 
signed,  and  they  take  to  them  the  books  in 
which  the  information  needed  for  preparation 
is  to  be  found  and  give  them  all  the  help  they 
can  in  preparing  their  paper  or  talk.  And  then, 
when  it  comes  to  the  meeting,  if  the  talk  or 
paper  lags,  these  helpers  from  the  committee 
interject  remarks,  or  throw  in  suggestions  which 
not  only  help  the  speaker  but  enliven  the  affair. 
All  the  members  of  the  committee  should,  as 
far  as  possible,  be  up  on  each  and  every  topic, 
and  each  and  every  one  of  them  should  feel  it 
his  duty  as  far  as  possible  to  make  a  success 
of  each  and  every  paper.  Those  who  know  how 
much  interjections  help  a  stupid  paper  and  en¬ 
lighten  a  heavy  one  and  improve  a  good  one. 


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and  generally  turn  a  formal  talk  into  an  in¬ 
formal  one,  can  realize  how  important  a  part 
of  the  work  this  is.  Of  course,  as  far  as  pos¬ 
sible,  the  speaker  should  carry  the  burden  of  the 
subject,  and  too  many  interruptions  should  not 
occur;  but  only  the  common  sense  of  the  com¬ 
mittee  can  tell  them  how  far  to  carry  this  mat¬ 
ter.  The  whole  idea  is  to  keep  things  lively 
and  interesting. 

It  may  be  asked,  why  not  give  the  presentation 
of  the  topics  to  the  members  of  the  committee? 
If  on  their  shoulders  must  rest  the  responsibility 
for  the  effectiveness  of  each  paper  and  its  de¬ 
livery,  why  not  let  them  do  it  all?  And  the 
reply  to  this  is  that  the  members  of  the  com¬ 
mittee  are  interested  in  the  meetings,  to  begin 
with,  and  that  the  rest  of  the  people  are  not 
necessarily  so,  and  that  by  giving  out  the  topics 
to  others  the  committee  makes  use  of  the  best 
of  all  expedients  to  meet  this  situation,  and 
secure  the  interest  of  all  concerned. 

So  this  device  is  a  vital  part  of  the  plan, 
since  (1)  it  enlists  the  co-operation  of  a  large 
number,  and  (2)  it  still  keeps  the  general  di¬ 
rection  in  the  hands  of  those  who  are  best 
qualified. 

It  is,  of  course,  evident  that  a  great  deal  de¬ 
pends  on  the  committee — the  ultimate  value  of 
the  scheme  depends  on  their  earnestness  and 
activity.  This  being  so,  certain  requirements 
are  to  be  understood.  They  must  be  prepared  to 
pray  without  ceasing  that  they  may  perform 
their  part  well.  The  whole  thing  depends  on 
prayer.  It  has  already  been  emphasized  that 
stupid  meetings  do  harm.  Let  it  now  be  further 
emphasized  that  no  pedagogic  devices  can  in¬ 
sure  the  elimination  of  stupidity.  There  is  only 
one  way  in  which  this  can  be  done,  and  that  is  by 


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the  earnest,  honest  desire  on  the  part  of  the 
members  of  the  committee  to  make  of  the  meet¬ 
ings  a  real  contribution  to  the  progress  of  God’s 
Kingdom.  So,  unless  prepared  to  pray  deeply 
for  the  plan,  it  is  best  not  to  undertake  it. 

Then  next  to  prayer  the  committee  should  be 
ready  to  give  time  and  thought  to  the  work. 
If  they  will  familiarize  themselves  with  the 
subjects  and  be  up  on  the  various  topics,  then 
they  need  have  no  fear — after  they  have  prayed 
— for  the  success  of  the  meetings. 

Lastly,  the  committee  should  realize  that  what 
they  are  doing  is  direct  and  definite  work  for  the 
cause.  They  are  engaged  upon  a  missionary  task, 
and  they  must  approach  the  work  from  the  point 
of  view  of  missionaries.  They  must  be  interested 
in  the  people  who  attend;  they  must  be  eager 
to  open  their  eyes  more  widely  to  the  needs  and 
meanings  of  the  church’s  campaign;  they  must 
never  let  an  opportunity  pass  to  help  the  people 
whom  for  that  meeting  God  has  intrusted  to  them. 

As  to  the  way  in  which  the  various  topics 
should  be  treated,  the  following  suggestions 
should  be  given  to  those  who  present  them; 

1.  A  talk  is  always  more  attractive  and  vivid 
than  a  paper,  and  if  the  persons  appointed  for  a 
topic  can  possibly  talk  without  notes  they  should 
be  urged  to  do  so.  With  the  help  of  the  com¬ 
mittee  member  who  has  worked  with  them  this 
should  not  be  so  difficult,  as  a  form  of  dialogue 
might  be  made  use  of. 

2.  If  a  paper  is  read  see  to  it  that  it  is  not  a 
compilation  of  dry  facts.  No  audience  ever  profits 
by  hearing  a  sort  of  census  report  or  a  paper 
which  sounds  like  a  page  from  an  encyclopedia. 
Only  use  facts  and  figures  to  illustrate.  Let  them 
be  incidental  rather  than  essential,  by  which  is 
meant  that  all  lists  of  missions  or  enumerations 

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of  converts  or  dimensions  of  buildings,  or  what¬ 
ever  else  of  dry  fact  there  may  be — that  these 
should  not  be  the  principal  part  of  the  paper.  In 
fact,  the  best  and  most  interesting  papers  are 
those  from  which  all  of  these  uninteresting  things 
could  be  cut  out  without  hurting  its  continuity. 
Remember  that  a  list  of  any  kind,  or  a  date,  can 
have  no  interest  for  the  person  who  has  no  vital 
understanding  of  that  which  it  refers  to.  Re¬ 
member  that  it  makes  no  difference  to  me  whether 
Ingle  was  born  in  1700  or  1800,  until  I  become 
interested  in  him  as  a  person  of  like  passion  with 
myself.  Remember  that  unless  the  things  related 
are  told  in  terms  familiar  to  the  hearers,  they  will 
make  no  sufficient  impression,  and,  therefore,  in 
the  paper  tell  everything  in  a  way  that  will  sound 
familiar  to  the  audience.  For  example,  use  local 
illustrations:  say  how  Japan  compares  in  size  to 
the  State  they  live  in;  use  local  situations  to  il¬ 
lustrate  conditions  in  the  field.  Never  neglect  an 
opportunity  to  make  the  audience  realize  what  it 
would  be  like  if  they  lived  in  the  midst  of  the 
thing  of  which  the  paper  treats.  If  possible,  for 
further  ideas  on  how  to  catch  the  ear  of  an  audi¬ 
ence,  read  “The  Point  of  Contact,”  by  Patterson 
Du  Bois,  published  by  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.;  it  is 
elementary  but  very  suggestive. 

So  much  for  directions  to  those  who  handle  the 
topics.  Now  a  word  about  the  “summing  ups,” 
for  which  a  place  is  made  at  the  end  of  each 
meeting.  These  should  be  handled  by  the  chair¬ 
man  of  the  committee,  and  should  be  serious  at¬ 
tempts  to  restate  in  a  forceful  way  the  most  im¬ 
portant  points  which  have  been  brought  out  in 
the  papers.  These  summings  up  should  be  given 
in  order  to  drive  home  the  purpose  for  which  the 
people  have  come  together. 

At  the  beginning  of  each  programme  will  be 

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found  an  “aim.”  “Now  this  “aim”  indicates  the 
object  of  the  meeting.  That  is  to  say,  the  peo¬ 
ple  do  not  come  together  merely  to  hear  some 
interesting  facts.  All  missionary  meetings  are  for 
inspiration  rather  than  information.  But  since 
without  the  latter  we  cannot  gain  the  former,  it 
is  necessary  that  a  certain  amount  of  information 
be  given.  Now  the  summing  up  should  be  the 
turning  of  that  information  into  inspiration. 

In  other  words,  the  relation  between  the  “aim” 
given  for  the  meeting  and  the  summing  up  is  im¬ 
mediate.  The  latter  is  done  in  order  to  bring  out 
the  former.  The  various  points  which  have  been 
made  and  the  facts  which  have  been  brought  out 
should  be  gathered  together  and  brought  before 
the  audience  in  such  a  way  as  to  send  them  to 
their  homes  eager  to  know  more  in  order  that 
they  may  do  more.  That  is  what  is  meant  by 
turning  information  into  inspiration,  and  that  is 
the  whole  point  and  purpose  of  the  meeting. 

Unless  the  people  are  sent  home  with  a  clear 
resume  of  the  subjects  treated  and  a  resume 
which  will  bring  directly  before  them  the  im¬ 
portance  to  them  of  the  issues  involved;  unless 
the  people  are  sent  home  with  a  direct  message, 
then  the  meeting  is  apt  to  have  been  held  in  vain. 
Hence,  the  chairman  must  prepare  the  summing 
up  carefully.  By  conferences  with  the  rest  of  the 
committee  it  will  be  possible  to  know  just  how 
the  topics  are  to  be  presented,  and  with  this  in¬ 
formation  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  sum  up  so  as 
to  enforce  the  “aim”  of  the  meeting. 

The  Bible  readings  and  prayers  suggested  on 
the  programmes  are  a  vital  element  and  are  in¬ 
tended  to  strike  as  nearly  as  possible  the  same 
note  as  that  struck  by  the  “aim.”  The  chairman 
should  take  them  himself.  In  many  places  it  will 
be  found  most  helpful  to  use  extemporaneous 
prayers  in  order  to  pray  about  the  exact  things 
that  have  been  dealt  with,  and  whenever  this  can 
be  done  it  is  seriously  recommended. 

For  further  information  and  suggestions,  write 
to  your  own  diocesan  Educational  Secretary  or  to 
the  Educational  Secretary  at  281  Fourth  Avenue, 
New  York. 


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